Alberta Furnace & Heating Services | Forced Air Heating & Furnace Service
Providing Quality Residential Forced Air Heating
The Alberta Furnace & Heating Services team provides quality forced air heating & furnace services to homes across the Calgary area, improving residents’ comfort and energy efficiency.
Our services include (but are not limited to):
- Furnace Replacements
- Furnace Repair & Servicing (Most Makes)
- Annual Service Option
- Air Conditioning Systems
- Hot Water Tanks
- Specialized Combination Heating System
If you don’t see your specific service needs listed above, please feel free to ask in a contact form query.
Finding Your Furnace: Important Considerations
mFirst: The effects of efficiency!
As of January 1, 2010, the minimum efficiency requirement in the City of Calgary is 90%. Keep this in mind when it comes time to upgrade/pick out your system.
Speaking of systems & efficiency…
Let’s talk about specialized heating systems, efficiency, and sizing…
Specialized heating systems in spaces up to 3000 sq.ft.:
If you are considering replacement of at least two low-efficiency furnaces as well as your water heater, we recommend the IBC Boiler with air handling units and an indirect water heater by IBC or Bradford-White. Air handling units come with DC high-efficiency blower motors which run with less noise and your domestic hot water is also generated at 95% efficiency.
We recommend installation of an Axiom pressure feed pack to remove any connection to the household water supply and keep the required pressure at a steady level on the incoming water service as well as the installation of a properly-sized diaphragm style expansion tank to eliminate water hammer. Humidifiers and air cleaners are strictly add-on accessories and can be sized and incorporated easily if desired.
Payback on systems like this is typically in the 11 to 12 year range.
Specialized heating systems in spaces between 3000 to 6000 sq. ft.:
Multiple heating modules and air handling units can be utilized to offset heat loss. Since these systems are meant to be engineered for each application, the consumer should select a contractor with extensive experience in this area. For this reason, references are available upon request.
Specialized heating systems in spaces larger than 6000 sq. ft.:
For homes larger that 6000 sq. ft., we recommend going with a twin boiler system with indirect domestic hot water tank and Lennox air handling units.
Heating homes outside the city limits?
It’s worth noting that at all times we would prefer to see a minimum of two (2) heat sources for homes outside the City (Calgary) limits.
Finally, let’s consider the impact of ventilation regulations.
Only the cheapest (180 cfm and lower) kitchen canopy exhaust hoods are allowed to be vented to the outdoors without special make-up air provisions. The maximum amount of unheated outdoor air allowed to enter a typical furnace is 25% of supply air. This typically means a 250 to 300 cfm kitchen exhaust hood is the maximum size allowed without preheating make-up air.
Many contractors will install an electric heating coil to preheat make-up air which is very expensive to run and is strictly an on-off system. We have developed some alternate ways to deal with make-up air requirements. The ventilation air systems are all custom design built systems providing constant discharge air temperatures.
According to the latest Ventilation Code Requirements; if you build your home with direct vent sealed combustion gas-fired appliances, make-up air does not have to be provided for kitchen exhaust fan applications. However, this would result in serious negative air pressures within the home and we do not support this practice. A properly designed kitchen exhaust/make-up air system is the only way to go.
The Alberta Furnace & Heating Services team demonstrates skillful expertise with a variety of heating systems and works hard to stay up-to-date with changing city regulations and technological advancements. We are here to help, and you can trust our work will always be up to code! Please feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of furnace do you suggest?
Alberta Furnace’s preferred type of high efficiency furnace system is the Lennox Elite Series EL297V. It’s an Energy Star rated furnace with an efficiency rating of up to 97% AFUE, 2-stage operation and a DC-variable speed motor.
In most applications, the additional expense for a furnace with a DC motor pays for itself within 2½ to 3 years with the electricity savings.
More information on features, specifications and energy efficiency can be found on the Lennox website at lennox.com.
Do you offer annual service?
For those of our clients who do not wish to tackle their own maintenance, we offer an annual reminder & service where the client is phoned at the same time every year to book their once/year service.
ALBERTA FURNACE & HEATING SERVICES